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When it comes to organizing mail, Windows Live Hotmail does not go beyond folders (to saved searches and tags, for example), its spam filter could be more effective, and IMAP access to all online folders would be nice.
- Windows Live Hotmail is a simple and easy to use free email service akin to desktop email
- You can send from other email addresses using Windows Live Hotmail
- Windows Live Hotmail includes fast search and can be accessed via POP in any email program
- Windows Live Hotmail lacks virtual folders and tags as well as IMAP access
- Windows Live Hotmail has lost emails at least once in the past (11/03/2009)
- Keyboard shortcuts would be nice, and the spam filter needs improvement
- Windows Live Hotmail offers free web-based email accounts starting with growing online storage (starting at 5 GB).
- Scanning for phishing attempts, viruses and spam, Windows Live Hotmail protects privacy, security and sanity.
- You can set up Windows Live Hotmail to accept mail only from people in your address book.
- Windows Live Hotmail does not download images from unauthorized senders automatically.
- A reading pane, drag-and-drop ease and rich text editing lend Windows Live Hotmail a desktop-like handling.
- You can set up additional addresses to send with from Windows Live Hotmail and retrieve mail from POP accounts.
- Windows Live Hotmail offers fast and universal message search, and filters can sort incoming mail to custom folders.
- Optimized versions of Windows Live Hotmail provide access using various browsers and mobile devices.
- You can have Windows Live Hotmail forward incoming mail between Windows Live Hotmail accounts (Plus: to any email address).
- A vacation auto-responder answers emails in your absence and integrated Live Messenger lets you chat with contacts.
Starting with the interface, Windows Live Hotmail is simple in both a very good and not so good a manner. You can search all your mail easily and use custom folders in tandem with filters to sort it. Windows Live Hotmail does not bother you with labels, search folders and the like. At the same time, these tools are missing when you try to organize your messages your way.
Organized or not, Windows Live Hotmail comes with solid security and privacy — it scans for viruses and does not display privacy-infringing images unless authorized, for example —, but its standard spam filter needs improvement. You can report spam easily using a "Junk" button, but that does not seem to have much of an effect.
What does have an effect, of course, is the option to allow only mail from known senders into your Windows Live Hotmail Inbox, which might be useful for some. Windows Live Hotmail does not extend that to a full challenge/response filter, though.
If Windows Live Hotmail still feels too much like web-based email to you, you can use Windows Live Mail for a yet more Windows-like experience or download your messages via POP.
Windows Live Hotmail does not offer IMAP access, though. In reverse, you can use it to send messages from any of your email addresses.
While Windows Live Hotmail does include solid address book and calendar components, the latter in particular seems secluded and not interested in too much interaction with Windows Live Hotmail qua email.
